Hello, Hello Goodbye, Goodbye
by DreamOn1996
Summary: Niles knew that he loved CC from the moment he laid eyes on her. CC knew that after Sarah's death, brown hair wasn't for her. Sorry I suck at summaries...starts with them meeting through Niles, heart attack. First fic ever!
1. Hello, Goodbye

She'd had him at "Hello, hello". She'd had him again when she marched through the doors of the Sheffield mansion like she'd owned the place, not even caring that it was only her first day working for Maxwell.

She saw him, Niles, and without missing a beat, criticized him, flipping her long brunette hair over her shoulder.

"So, I'm guessing you're Niles. The new butler."

Those were her first words to him. The very same words that he knew better than the back of his hand. He quickly groped for the words to form a snarky comment, but was taken aback by her confidence.

_I have no chance, _he thought. Luckily, he was able to shake himself out of his trance in a nanosecond, and fired a zinger back at her.

"Yes I am." he replied smoothly, "But you might have the wrong address, Miss, you see, Halloween was six months ago."

She narrowed her eyes at him, a little surprised at his smooth British accent, but her eyes shot daggers at him all the same.

Niles flashed his boyish grin at her, blue eyes shining. He was completely drawn to this person that had walked out of her penthouse and into his heart all of two minutes ago. Yeah. Right into his heart. He had a crush on CC Babcock.

4 YEARS LATER

CC, along with Sarah Sheffield sat in Sarah's BMW, which Sarah insisted on driving. The vehicle was full of the result of a full day of shopping pursued by two wealthy women, half of which were being transported to CC's penthouse for deposit.

"I had so much fun today," Sarah said, switching lanes. "We haven't had ANY Sarah-CC bonding time in, well....since Grace really."

"Yeah, I enjoyed it." CC replied, staring at her reflection in the side mirror. She toyed with the ends of the brown hair she still had. "Hey, the pickup truck is trying to cut in front of you," she motioned to the blue truck in the lane to their right, which was flashing the left blinker.

"Thanks." Sarah answered, slowing down as to allow the truck to merge in front of the BMW. But, by that time, the other driver had switched his turn signal off.

"I guess he changed his mind." CC mused, easing herself back into her seat, trying to shake the feeling of unease that had crept up on her suddenly.

Sarah drove on, still parallel to the the truck that seemed to be trying to keep their exact pace.

"Sarah......I don't like being that close to that guy. It makes me feel a little uneasy."

"I know what you mean, but there's nothing I can do. There's traffic everywhere."

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The driver of the truck yanked hard on his wheel, sending the truck veering in Sarah and CC's direction.

CC screamed.

"SAAAARRRAAAHHH!"

Sarah cursed at the traffic in front and behind them, and was only able to swerve onto the empty sidewalk, hoping for a sanctuary.

The truck clipped the right of the BMW, sending it sliding into a lamppost. The light embedded itself into Sarah's door. The sound of crunching metal rang in CC's ears, but the smashed glass of the windshield cutting her skin was the least of her troubles.

Sarah moaned, squished underneath her airbag, the crushed door, and her chair. CC struggled to reach her, and while she fumbled with her seatbelt, sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Sarah." she whispered, reaching a bruised arm out to her best friend. Her only friend.

No reply escaped Sarah's lips.

"SARAH!" CC nudged her harder, calling louder.

Sarah's head lolled to the side, and she let out a shudder. Small gasps sounded from her mouth. They eventually slowed, and CC could see the paramedics rushing toward them.

Sarah's heart beat once, twice, and then.....nothing.


	2. A Bucket of Soapy Water

**A/N: Sorry I left off an authors note last chapter. :( Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you guys like this chapter! I get off school tomorrow, so updates will be pretty much every day or so - not making any promises though. Please R&R! It makes me happy!**

Chapter Two

A Bucket of Soapy Water

When CC awoke, she was freaked. She was in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. It was dark, and the blinds were drawn. If it was day or night, she couldn't tell, but the constant throbbing in her head was telling her to lay back down on the pillow and sleep.

Just then, the door opened and the lights were switched on. An over-friendly nurse walked in with a clipboard, flashing CC a totally fake smile. The nurse sat on the edge of her bed, and patted CC's hand.

"Well, we're all glad you're up Miss Babcock, we were very worried."

"Huh?" she said softly, now realizing that she was in the hospital; her least favorite place in the entire world. "Who's "we"?"

The nurse chuckled.

"Why, you're friends silly! You didn't think they weren't worried, now did you?" she asked, making quick notes on the clipboard. "Now, you seem to be fine. The doctor will come by later to run some tests just to be sure. The best medicine for you now is rest. I'm Nurse Jenkins, by the way." she said, speaking to CC as if she was five.

CC glanced her direction, her mind quickly processing what Nurse Jenkins had just said. _Friends._ There was only one person in the whole world that had that title, and...

"Where's Sarah?" CC asked, bolting upright. "Is she okay? Is she hurt? Is she...?" she couldn't bear to project her last thought.

Nurse Jenkins' face fell, her Barbie-dollish smile disappearing.

"I was going to let the doctor tell you himself, but now that you've asked..." she trailed off.

"Tell me! Tell me NOW!" CC demanded, now sitting nose to nose with the nurse.

She started speaking slowly.

"Sarah Sheffield wasn't as lucky as you, Miss Babcock. During the horrid events of the crash, she suffered from a broken neck, and was sent to the critical care unit at once. But she didn't make it to the ambulance in time."

CC went into immediate shock. The words had barely registered in her mind, when she collapsed into a heap and cried. Nurse Jenkins gave her a supportive pat on the back, and spoke quietly to her to try and calm her nerves.

"I'll send you're friends in now." she said softly before retreating out the door.

A few minutes later, the Sheffield's, Niles in tow, entered the room, and cried along with CC for a while. They tried to exchange supportive comments, but that tactic failed dismally.

"Miss Babcock?" Brighton asked a while later, "If it isn't too much of a bother, would you mind telling us exactly what happened?

A few years had passes since that fateful afternoon, and CC Babcock marched through the doors of the Sheffield mansion as brisk and attentive as ever. But the sight on the couch that met her eyes forced her to switch gears.

"Awww, Niles. It's your day off! No one's home! How come there's no Risky Business going on around here?" she laughed, sending shivers down Niles' spine.

"Risky Business? Why would I be doing any sort of Risky Business with _you_ around?" he said, never taking his eyes off the TV screen.

CC frowned.

"Can it, Butler Boy. I'll be in the office working, so it'll almost be like I'm not around. But keep the TV down, I need peace." she said, retreating to the office.

But, naturally, when CC Babcock says that she needs peace and quiet, those become the magic words that signal Niles to follow her.

CC plopped down on the green sofa, and pulled out some papers, and tried to get to work. After a few minutes though, Niles burst through the door with a vacuum.

"What do you think you're doing? I thought I said-"

"Oh but Miss Babcock, you're always telling me _"Your a BUTLER! Now, BUTTLE!"_" Niles said in a perfect imitation of her icy tones. "So, I decided to take you're word for it. I'd thought I'd do something nice for Mr. Sheffield and vacuum his office."

"That's considerate of you, but right now, my job is more important than the "oh so hectic role" of a domestic. I have ssssoooo much work to get done."

"Why hurry Babs? Got a hot date with the pimp on the street corner again?" Niles chuckled, flashing his boyish grin at her, blue eyes twinkling. But his features had changecd somewhat after hearing that comment. He hated jabs about his job and position in life.

CC was now glaring at him.

"You have no right to be meddling in the personal life of a socialite! Now, if you don't mind -"

But the rest of her words were drowned out by the sound of the vacuum being turned on, so she stormed out of the office and dumped her things on the kitchen table.

She hadn't even put pencil to paper when her mind flicked to _him._ She loved the way his eyes twinkled after a good joke, and his grin made her want to hug him. He looked so much younger and happier when her had just won one of their battles. She often let him anyway, just to see the look of sheer joy on his face. His dirty blonde hair, only a few shades darker than her own now blonde hair, was growing out, and she liked it that way.

The sound of the kitchen door opening interrupted her fairy-tale like thoughts, but when she looked up and realized who it was, a warm tingle traveled throughout her body.

Niles carried a mop and a bucket of soapy water with him, and proceeded to mop the kitchen floor as loudly as humanly possible.

CC jumped out of her chair.

"Okay, you must not understand. The noise you are making is causing me to fall behind in my work, and if the work doesn't get done, Maxwell and I don't get paid. And if we don't get paid, you don't get paid. That means no more days off, no more "Risky Business"."

Niles pretended to look ashamed.

"Sir yes sir." he said, giving her a mock salute.

CC shot him a look that the Wicked Witch of the West would covet. Frost seemed to radiate from her body, giving Niles the jitters.

"Wow. It looks like it's time for _s.o.m.e.b.o.d.y.'s._ nappie!" he said, backing up a bit. When her expression remained unchanged, he added, "I'm sorry Miss Babcock, I didn't mean to make you _this_ upset. I'm sorry."

"Oh, you will be." she growled, turning on her heel.

It would've been a very dramatic exit if the floor hadn't been wet from the mop still. CC slipped, and fell to the ground.

"NILES!" she yelped, feeling the water spot on her skirt grow.

Niles quickly scrambled to retrieve the bucket of water she had knocked out of his hand, which was still half-full, but when he bent down, she was standing up, and their heads collided.

CC dropped to the ground again, clutching her forehead. "Owww..."

Niles offered her a hand without realizing that it was the hand with the bucket of soapy water, and he realized his mistake before she had time to react to the collision of their heads.

The water hit CC with full force, drenching her completely. She made to lunge at him, but face-planted back on the floor. She then pushed herself up shakily, looking murderous at Niles who was trying to conceal his laughter.

"Niles Andrew Brightmore," she snarled, and Niles knew that she only used his full name when she was about to kill him, "You are so dead."

**A/N: Ya, I know I left you hanging, so I'll try and update soon! I made this one longer, so the length of the next chappie is unpredictable. Please review! I hope you liked! :D**


	3. Shrinking

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Threw a surprise party for my lil sis! here's chappie 3! Please R&R and I'll give you a cupcake! :D**

**Oh, and by the way, this chapter completely disregards everything that happened between them in the episode they get married!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything except a TON of leftover chocolate cake!**

Chapter Two

Shrinking

Niles backed out of the kitchen, CC walking toward him. She was trying her best not to slip again, and Niles looked plenty scared now. Water dripped from her hair and clothes, make-up running down her cheeks.

"Come give me a hug." she said, spreading her dripping arms wide. She had a sly smile plastered on her face now, as she had thought of the perfect plan to get back at him.

Niles shook his head vigorously, now pushing the kitchen door open with his back. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Why would I wanna give you a hug? I mean, wet cats aren't very _snuggly._"

"Oh ha ha. You think you're so funny. But now thanks to you, I have a three hundred dollar outfit ruined, and no clothes to change into!" the sly smile turned into a frown, and "tears" formed at her eyes.

Niles now felt something he thought he'd never feel in a million years. He felt sorry for the beautiful women in soaking wet clothes that now was starting to cry. He wanted to take her into his arms and show her just how sorry he was. But sadly, he knew he couldn't do that.

"Miss Babcock..." he whispered, starting to approach her trembling form. "I'm so terribly sorry, you know that right? I'll pay to replace the outfit, and if we get it in the dryer now, we could probably save it. You know what? I'll buy you a new one anyway.

I'll -"

"No. Niles, it's fine." she replied, ultimately touched by the gesture. As sweet as it was, it would ruin her plan if she chose to accept. And even though she could easily pass up the offer, she was a sucker for those sparkly blue eyes of his, which were now full of concern. "Just throw them in the dryer. I have spare clothes in my bag."

"Uh, alright then. Alright." he said, shuffling his feet.

CC Babcock's mind was spinning. She could work around this obstacle called Niles' Kindness. Yes, she sure could.

"I'll go change upstairs." she said, her sly grin gracing her features once again. She sloshed out of the kitchen and up the stairs, right to the room that she knew belonged to Niles. "Oh yes. Revenge is soooo sweet."

CC entered the room, and stopped. Placing the bag that she had donned earlier on the ground. She slipped on dry clothes and walked to the door to what she thought was his closet. CC opened the door, and grabbed as many of his clothes as she could, stuffing them into her bag. She stepped in front of the mirror quickly, and pulled up her hair, and dabbed at the runny make-up.

Zipping up the bag, CC slipped down the stairs back to the kitchen.

"Niles, where is the dryer?" she asked sweetly, admiring the view.

Niles was on his hands and knees, mopping up the water with some towels. His hair was disheveled, and his sleeves were pushed up. He looked back at her, but had to do a double take.

CC stood before him in a pair of jeans, a T-Shirt. Her hair was in a sloppy bun, and her make-up was light. She look absolutely stunning.

"It's through there," he replied, pointing. His face was glued to her the whole time.

"Thanks!" she said merrily, and left through the door.

"Something's up." he muttered to himself, turning back to the drippy towels before him. "She changed quick, actually said "thanks", and is going to do the laundry herself. Yes. Something's definitely up."

When CC returned, she seemed to cast a pleasant aura wherever she walked after that. Something was pleasing or amusing her greatly, and her plan hadn't even been put into action fully.

Oh, the two went on teasing each other of course, but CC's retorts weren't as harsh as normal. She had even offered to help Niles finish mopping the kitchen.

"No, Miss Babcock." he said in answer to her request to help, "Your sponge body took care of most of the mopping for me. And besides, isn't it against the law that a socialite such as yourself even dare to touch a cleaning supply?"

"Can it, Butler Boy. Our laws might surprise you." she chuckled, checking her watch. "I think my clothes are ready. I'll change and be outta here in a bit."

Niles honestly didn't want her to leave, yet he wanted the fake politeness gone. It was unsettling, but he liked her company. That company they shared with each other seemed much more casual now, because CC now resembled a "friend" spending time with another "friend". It was quite pleasant. To him, anyway.

CC quickly climbed the stairs to his bedroom once again, and changed back into her work clothes. She replaced his, which now looked surprisingly different. The old butler was in for quite a shock.

After CC practically skipped out of the house fifteen minutes later, and Niles wanted to know why. Little did he know, CC had snuck around the back of the house and was now peering through his window, waiting to find his reaction.

He went to go change into pajamas, as it was now getting a bit late. He swung the doors open to his closet, and the shocking effect was immediate.

"BABCOCK!" he yelled, and hearing a chuckle out his window, he threw open the curtains. She was there, laughing hysterically. "Woman, you bloody SHRUNK my CLOTHES?"

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! please review, and the next chappie will be up in a day or two! :D**


	4. Always a Gentleman, Forever a Kid

**A/N: This chapter will be a bit different. It's more calm, but really sweet in the end. I hope ya'll like it as much as I do. Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Still the same. Don't own anything but the thoughts in my head, which are still in Niles/CC mode!**

Chapter Four

Always a Gentleman, Forever a Kid

A few days had passed since CC shrank pretty much everything in Niles' closet. Niles had replaced them all, but was still not ready to lie down in defeat. He would never be defeated. Not by _her_ anyway.

So, the on and off war between the two continued to rage, and they soon found themselves alone with the children one afternoon. Max and Fran wanted Niles to take Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie out, but the arguments about where to go and what to do were almost too much for the butler.

"I wanna go to the zoo!"

"No! Let's go to the mall!"

"But I want to go get ice cream in the park!"

"It's too hot for that."

"Well, it's too hot for the zoo too!"

The kids went on like this for a half hour, and Niles found himself slouching in a chair, trying to come up with some sort of plan. His train of thought was interrupted a bit later by _her_.

"Will you guys keep it down, _some_ of us are trying to work! Mary, Brennon, Gale, go do something with your life!" she shuddered, not aware of the name confusion for the fifth time that day.

"Easy Babs, will be outta here as soon as they decide where I'm taking them this afternoon." Niles answered glumly. "And also, I think it's Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie."

"Well, let's see." she started, silencing the children, "It's the middle of the summer, you'd burn up outside, so why don't you guys go swimming?" CC suggested, ignoring the last bit of Niles' comment.

Niles paused. That was actually a pretty decent idea, aside from the fact that it was nearly impossible for one human being to control three kids at a public pool. But at least it would get them to stop arguing.

And then he had another idea.

"Okay Babcock, you win this one. I'll take them swimming," he said, listening to their shouts of joy, "But you know, it's nearly impossible for one person to control these kids, especially when it comes to water-related things, so you have to come too."

CC looked taken aback at his request. There was no way she was going swimming with Butler Boy, but then again he would be shirtless...

"Fine. But I'm _not_ getting into that nasty water." she said, stalking to the door. "I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes. I need to change."

When Niles made it to the pool with the kids, Brighton and Gracie made a beeline for the water, Brighton grabbing numerous pool floats and water guns, while Gracie adjusted her water wings, which she still hadn't outgrown.

Maggie eyed the lifeguard, and promptly chose the beach chair near where he was sitting. She adjusted her bikini, and pushed her sunglasses farther up the bridge of her nose. With her floppy sun hat on, she was completely unrecognizable, and looked five years older.

Niles was able to wrangle Brighton and Gracie long enough to slather sunblock on their faces, arms, and legs before they ran off again. He sighed, looking around for CC. He was able to snag a chair, and whipped out his sunglasses. And then he saw her.

CC let herself through the gate, holding a beach towel. Like Maggie, she wore a floppy sun hat, giant sunglasses, and a bikini. Hers was black, and was very revealing. He would've hardly recognized her if she hadn't put the sunglasses on as she walked through the gate.

"Wow." he mumbled to himself. CC saw him, and walked over to the chair he was saving for him. She dropped her bag down, and leaned back in the chair, turning to face him.

"Where are these unruly kids, then Bell Boy?" she asked. Even through her sunglasses, Niles could see that she had one eyebrow raised, like she normally did when she was skeptical.

"Brighton and Gracie are swimming, and Maggie is trying to catch the attention of that lifeguard over there." Niles said, almost wishing he hadn't. He didn't want his gorgeous blonde flirting with the guy. Wait, _his_ gorgeous blonde?

CC sat on the beach chair feeling confused. She had no idea why she was here. The kids seemed to keep to themselves for the most part. Well, really with the exception of Brighton, who had started a war with pool floats against some other boys. And poor Gracie was just floating by herself, looking ridiculous in those water wings of hers.

"So Bell Boy, why hasn't Gracie outgrown the floaties yet?" she asked, trying to make conversation. She wanted the outing to be peaceful, because she really didn't want him to do something else to her as revenge on the whole shrinking-Niles'-clothes deal. CC just wasn't in the mood. And also, she wanted to enjoy him. He looked so incredibly sexy in his blue water trunks and sunglasses. His hair was long and disheveled looking again, (just the way she liked it), and he had kicked off his shoes. He lay on his side, clearly exposing the toned muscles in his arms and back.

He glanced her way before answering.

"Oh, well, she actually outgrew them a few years back, but Brighton pushed her in a lake when they stayed in some lodge, and she was too disoriented to do anything. She's not really afraid of the water, just afraid of going under." he finished. "I'm actually about to go help her in a minute; she seems lonely."

CC smiled at this.

"You really love those kids, don't you?" she asked, stretching.

Niles chuckled.

"Yeah. They can sure be a pain when they want to be, but I enjoy having them around. Especially Gracie. She's like the daughter I've always wanted." he said, really surprising himself at how well he could talk to her. Come to think of it, he hadn't tossed a zinger yet. He would have to get to that later. But for now, he wanted to continue talking to her. He sort of enjoyed it.

CC didn't know he wanted a daughter. She found it charming. And sweet.

Gracie came running up to them, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her.

"Niles? Can you come play volleyball with me? A net was just set up, but no one will come with me."

Niles looked apologetically over at CC, who was, obviously by lack of zingers, enjoying their conversation as much as he was.

"Sure." he replied, allowing her to lead him to the pool.

After a few rounds of volleyball, the other kids gravitated toward the net, and began to play. Leaving Gracie, Niles made to get out of the pool, but never made it very far. Brighton jumped on him, pulling Niles underwater. He popped up a second later, and seized Brighton around the middle, shaking water out of his hair. He held Brighton right above the surface of the water.

"You know, Master Brighton," said Niles while Brighton laughed hysterically, "If you do something to me, you're not getting away until I've had revenge." he said, dropping the boy into the water. Brighton floated up, and laughed even harder as Niles retreated to the chair.

He caught an incoming towel from CC, and slipped it around his shoulders. He caught CC looking at him intently.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just enjoyed watching." she replied, now gazing off into space.

"Oh yeah, sure. You were just surprised that an actual human can produce more action that one of your Inflate-A-Dates." he smirked.

"Can it, Hazel." she snapped, frowning, even though she _had_ really enjoyed watching him. He would forever be a gentleman, but always remain a kid at heart. She smiled again. "You're going to make a great father someday." she said quietly this time, almost as if she was scared of voicing her thoughts out loud.

Niles looked surprised at her compliment, and grinned, giving him an all-around overjoyed look, even though he knew that the only way he would become a dad was if the mother was named CC Babcock.

"Ya really think so?"

**A/N: Awwww, how sweet! Review if ya liked it!**


	5. Writer's Block

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but I have serious writer's block at the moment for this story. If anyone wants do finish it, go ahead. Just add a review letting me know so I can look out for it! I'll have other stories coming, maybe even one later tonight, so I'd appreciate any feedback!**


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